On behalf of all the members of the Plymouth Rotary Club, I would like to thank the many local businesses and merchants who supported our recent 64th annual Penny Sale. Their generous gifts of merchandise, services, and gift certificates helped the Plymouth Rotary raise over $15,000 — ensuring that the Penny Sale was a resounding success. As always, the proceeds from the evening will be earmarked for local community projects and scholarship awards to deserving high school seniors.

We are also grateful for Plymouth Regional High School exceptional support of our event. We would like to thank theater teacher Heather Joy for her powerful rendition of the National Anthem, as well as Ms. Joy's student a cappella groups, including the women's a cappella "Hear Comes Treble" and the men's a cappella "Menharmonics" for their stellar performances. In addition we wish to thank the High School Honor Society for its assistance with delivering the prizes, Mr. John Spear and the DECA group (Future Business Leaders of America) who ran the concessions, the culinary arts program that supplied the baked goods, and Assistant Principal Randy Cleary for arranging for PRHS participation. In addition, we would like to thank Coach Barbara Rawlsky-Willet and the Plymouth Women's Tennis Team (recent winners of the Little East Conference championship) for supporting the event by assisting with raffle ticket sales.

We'd also like to congratulate the winners of our Grand Prize Raffle drawing: Bruce and Susan Wigget of Plymouth won the first prize of a week's stay at the Cold Spring Resort (a $1,000 value), Regan Weaver of Ashland won $500 cash donated by Community Guaranty Savings Bank and the Bridgewater Power Company, Jennifer Maine of Laconia won 100 gallons of home heating oil donated by the Dead River Company, and Katie Badylak of Plymouth won the $200 "Shop Local" shopping spree donated by Venture Print Unlimited Inc.

A special thank you goes to these major sponsors along with thanks to the Bank of New Hampshire, the Common Man Family of Restaurants, CMD Bookkeeping, New Hampshire Electric Co-op, Laconia Eye and Laser Center, Meredith Village Savings Bank, Rand's Hardware, Resource Management Inc., and Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank.

The best question asked this Monday morning on the "Morning Joe" program was by Mark Halperin of Bloomberg Politics to Bill Kristol founder and editor of the Conservative Weekly Standard. What will be the GOP message if they take over both the House and Senate after the elections? There was no response. But Kristol, after a short thoughtful period, did say energy and repeal of the ACA.

In my opinion that says it all because the Republicans have no idea of what they will do if they win. After eight years of trying to stop everything the president has tried to do the only thing they can say is "No." They have forgotten how to be positive and creative. Led by Boehner and Mitchie they only know how to be negative.

Whatever the president has wanted they were against even if they were for it first. They have voted against bills they once voted for depending what the president wanted. They talk about job creation, but the only one they keep referring to is the Keystone pipeline which is a non-­starter.

Ignoring or eliminating science will not make our problems go away so we need groups like the EPA. If anyone saw a news clip of the marathon in Beijing, China, over the weekend with the runners wearing gas masks you have just looked into our future. The air quality was rated as hazardous. We need to slowly wean ourselves off of fossil fuels. We need to study and invest in alternative energy sources. There is room for more than one source. We have to solve our problems no matter where and what they are.

Ebola, ISIL, immigration are just a few to start and if the new Congress won't deal with them we're all in trouble.

There should not be any question, as to whom, should buy the Lakeport Landing property off Union Avenue.

Blizzard bought this property from the Heberts and turned it into a showcase of how a marina can be operated. Hundreds of vacation-minded people found this facility for summer enjoyment, but also found winter activities, which led to many, not only renting lodgings and or buying homes. Continue your thinking as to the new income to this area.

Normally, these people would have continued up Interstate 93, not knowing of the many attractions in the Laconia area. Blizzard put this place on the map. Now, year-round groups visit, restaurants, local food and clothing stores, Funspot and Gunstock Ski Area. Plus touring Meredith, Wolfeboro and towns surrounding the lake. This also represents a tremendous amounts of taxes that were paid to towns and to the state of New Hampshire by the aforesaid mentioned.

Blizzard invested untold sums, for the beautification of this property. He also paid for and built the new railroad drawbridge that now allows larger and safer type boats to enter the Big Lake. It also allowed new business facilities to grow in this 15 square mile area. More tax income.

For someone to come in and buy an established and proven business, knowing it is successful, is like opening Lakeport Marina's books and saying, "Have at it." Blood, sweat and tears built this marina. A new lease or sales price for Erica Blizzard to purchase this property should be adjusted far below any bid from competing marina or other business. It will mean an undisturbed, continuous, successful enterprise. A takeover by a competing marina, will cause turmoil to present boat owners, workers, that have earned a living for the past 35-plus years.

Any other business, will have to raze and rebuild, thus putting this area out of productive use, for two or more years. This will negatively affect Lakeport and its area business interests. Cool heads should prevail. Forget personal bickering, greed. Do not lose a well managed facility, with little or no problems, that maybe found in a new enterprise.

Brittany Maynard, of Portland, OR, killed herself on Sat, Nov 1, 2014, using so-called assisted suicide measures. May God have mercy on her soul. The news was reported locally here in Laconia by The Laconia Daily Sun, running an AP story. But folks, that news story was not fair and balanced. It tried to give persuasive arguments in favor of the "right" of someone to kill themselves, but it did not include any discussion of the opposite viewpoint, other than to say "...social conservatives have sharply criticized..." and "...unlikely Republican-controlled legislatures would consider..."

And except for a few religious-affilliated groups being quoted expressing what some consider empty rhetoric in their opposition, there is hardly ever serious anti-assisted suicide discussion on the matter.

In the 2000 years since "The Lamb of God" brought a New Covenant to mankind, and created the "ekklesia," the church of Christ, man has been trying to write his own new set of laws to live by, rejecting those from God. Most people (even some who consider themselves Christians) do not even know that Jesus' death fulfilled all of the Old Law, bringing a NEW Law, which if followed, will give every one of us Eternal Life. Many people either reject the belief, or simply do not know that we are to live our lives for God, not ourselves. Modernism and Post-modernism beliefs today try to convince people that they are in charge of matters of this type, not an unseen god.

But Jesus said that even some who consider themselves religious will not enter the Kingdom of God unless they do the Will of His Father. He also said, in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."

Some will say that we don't know for sure whether it's okay with God for us to do certain things. But that is so not true. He provided a "rule book" for us to live by. And just like an athlete who violates a serious rule of the sport he's playing, and is disqualified from further participation, we can also become "disqualified" from eternal life. At least the athlete knows what the rules are. What makes it worse for us is that many of us are influenced by the culture around us, that it isn't even necessary for us to know what the "rules" are!

We are a "me first" society, and many times, our selfishness causes nothing else to matter to us. Even though most people believe that we are created by God, hardly anyone ever asks, "what does God want from me?" That's because we are afraid of the answer. We don't want to know the answer! The correct answer might require us to become accountable for our behavior, and the last thing many of us want, is to be held accountable. So we don't ask!

Our lives are gifts from God, and only He has the right to take them back. Young people, please do not be influenced by the destructiveness of the present-day culture. God has a plan for your life — go out there and find out what it is! In the meantime, "Bloom where you're Planted," wherever that is!

This is an open letter to all "Concealed Carry" permit holders who might be leaning in favor of "Open Carry" for New Hampshire, which has been talked about a lot this election cycle.

Open Carry, in my opinion, is an ill-conceived idea for anyone who can legally obtain a concealed-carry permit, and it has to do with "brandishing."

Anyone who knows that you are carrying can make a false report to police that you threatened them with it. And even if you have not "brandished" it, they can still describe it to police. If they can describe it, that means they have seen it. And if they make a false report that you threatened them, and can now also describe it to police, who will the police most likely believe?

The "...right to bear arms" is a sacred right. But if you needlessly abuse that right, you're simply asking for trouble. Concealed-Carry is the much better option, because you and your loved ones are much safer if nobody knows for sure.